Michael Solomonov

"Laser Wolf" redirects here. For the character from Fiddler on the Roof, see Fiddler on the Roof. For the animated tv show, see Lazor Wulf. For progressive metal trio, see Lazer Wulf.
Michael Solomonov
מייקל סולומונוב
Michael Solomonov in 2006
Born1978 (age 47–48)
Ganei Yehuda, Israel
EducationFlorida Culinary Institute
Culinary career
Cooking styleIsraeli, Jewish
Current restaurants
    • Zahav
    • Federal Donuts
    • Abe Fisher
    • Dizengoff
    • Goldie
    • K'Far
    • Merkaz
    • Laser Wolf
    • Jaffa Bar
    • Aviv
Award(s) won
Websitehttp://www.cooknsolo.com/

Michael Solomonov (Hebrew: מייקל סולומונוב; born 1978) is an American and Israeli chef and restauranter owner active primarily in Philadelphia. His first restaurant Zahav, founded in 2008, has received national recognition including the James Beard Foundation "Outstanding Restaurant" in 2019.[1][2]

Early life

Solomonov was born in moshav Ganei Yehuda, Israel, to a family of Bulgarian-Jewish descent.[3][4] He was raised in Pittsburgh,[4] where he attended Taylor Allderdice High School.[5] At the age of 18, he returned to Israel with no Hebrew language skills, taking the only job he could get – working in a bakery – and his culinary career was born.[4]

Michael Solomonov posing for Philadelphia Magazine in 2006

Career

At the start of his career, Solomonov moved back to the United States to attend culinary school at the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach.[6] He then moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to cook Italian cuisine at Chef Marc Vetri's upscale Italian restaurants. Afterwards, Solomonov took a job as a chef at Marigold Kitchen, owned by businessman Steve Cook.[7] Cook and Solomonov then opened the upscale Mexican restaurant Xochitl and later co-founded the restaurant group CooknSolo.[7]

In 2003, while patrolling the Israeli border with Lebanon near Metulla, his brother David was ambushed and shot to death by Hezbollah snipers on the Lebanese side on Yom Kippur.[8] It was only three days before David’s release date from the Israeli army, after three years of mandatory military service. David was not supposed to be on duty that day, but he volunteered to replace a fellow soldier who wanted to go to synagogue for Yom Kippur; he was 21 years old.[9][10] David's death was one of the main factors that influenced him to change his focus to Israeli and Jewish cuisine.[11][12] With the support of an investment banker turned chef Steve Cook, Solomonov opened Zahav in 2008.[13][14]

With his business partner Steven Cook, Solomonov is co-owner of several Philadelphia restaurants: Dizengoff, vegan falafel restaurant Goldie, Laser Wolf, Abe Fisher, Percy Street Barbecue, and Federal Donuts, a fried chicken and donut chain. Having participated in the South Beach Food & Wine Festival in 2013, Solomonov was able to bring Percy Street Barbecue to South Florida. Bill Addison, writing for Eater Philadelphia, called Chef Solomonov "the Genius of Modern Jewish Cooking" after eating at Abe Fisher, Dizengoff, and Zahav.[15]

Solomonov also spent a period of time consulting for David Magerman's, now closed, and Citron and Rose, a certified Kosher meat restaurant on the Main Line in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.[16][17]

In 2015, Cook and Solomonov published a cookbook based on their restaurant Zahav.[18] Zahav: A World of Israeli Cuisine was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Book Award in the International cookbook category.[19] Its recipe for hummus was chosen as "2015 dish of the year" by Bon Appétit.[20]

In 2025, Solomonov and his partner Steve Cook launched Aviv, an Israeli fusion restaurant, in Miami Beach, Florida.[21] They also launched their Zahav hummus into national retail stores, including Whole Foods and Target.[22]

Awards

  • "Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic" (2011) by the James Beard Foundation[23]
  • "Cookbook of the Year" for Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking (2016) by the James Beard Foundation[24]
  • "Outstanding Chef" (2017) by the James Beard Foundation[25]
  • "Outstanding Restaurant" for Zahav (2019) by the James Beard Foundation[1]
  • "The Restaurant List" for Laser Wolf (2021), one of 50 restaurants included by The New York Times[26]

References

  1. ^ a b "The 2019 James Beard Award Winners". James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Two Philadelphia Restaurants Named Among Nation's Best For Wine". Chestnut Hill-Mt. Airy, PA Patch. 2015-07-06. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  3. ^ "Philadelphia chef takes readers on culinary journey with Zahav". www.delawareonline.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Zahav". www.zahavrestaurant.com.
  5. ^ "Munch goes to Philadelphia (for 25 hours)". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  6. ^ Team, Apollo13. "Michael Solomonov | COOK". Retrieved 2023-02-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b Smith, Crawford (2022-01-10). "The Untold Truth Of Mike Solomonov From Where Chefs Eat". Mashed. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  8. ^ Gutman-Wei, Rachel (2018-01-31). "From Crack Addict to America's Most Celebrated Chef". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  9. ^ Hajdenberg, Jackie (2024-01-18). "Celebrity chef's Zahav hummus hits shelves despite war protests". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  10. ^ "David Solomonov – AACI Remembers". Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  11. ^ Solomonov, Michael (2018-11-26). "Having Overcome Addiction, This Acclaimed Chef Gives Back to Others". Guideposts. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  12. ^ "Michael Solomonov's Culinary Tribute to Slain Brother". The Forward. 2013-10-14. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  13. ^ Bruni, Frank (9 August 2014). "Grief, Smoke and Salvation". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
  14. ^ Nathan, Joan (20 September 2011). "After a Killing, Michael Solomonov Turns to Israeli Food". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
  15. ^ Addison, Bill (8 July 2015). "Why Philly's Mike Solomonov Is The Genius of Modern Jewish Cooking". Eater. Eater Philadelphia. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  16. ^ "Welcome - Philadelphia Magazine". www.phillymag.com. 29 April 2013.
  17. ^ "Welcome - Philadelphia Magazine". www.phillymag.com. 15 March 2012.
  18. ^ Clark, Melissa (6 October 2015). "In 'Zahav,' Michael Solomonov Explores Israeli Food". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-20 – via NYTimes.com.
  19. ^ "The 2016 James Beard Award Nominees". James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  20. ^ Stanek, Amiel (18 August 2015). "Hummus Is the 2015 Dish of the Year". Bon Appetit. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  21. ^ Bond, Amber Love. "Michael Solomonov Returns To Miami With The Opening Of Aviv". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
  22. ^ Bond, Amber Love. "The Famous Restaurant Recipe Zahav Hummus Is Now Available At Target". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  23. ^ Vermillion, Allecia (9 May 2011). "Winners: 2011 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards". Eater. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  24. ^ "The 2016 Beard Award Winners! | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  25. ^ Canavan, Hillary Dixler; DeJesus, Erin (2 May 2017). "Here Is the Full List of James Beard Foundation Awards 2017 Winners". Eater. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  26. ^ Desk, The New York Times Food (2021-10-11). "The 2021 Restaurant List". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-03. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
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